ABSTRACT
Rachel is in the 11th grade. Throughout Rachel’s junior high and high school career, she has earned As and Bs. This year she won a scholarship for her essay on the Bill of Rights. She is careful and precise when she completes mathematics homework and science labs. Last spring, she took the state’s standards-based test that she must pass for graduation. The tests in reading and mathematics included multiple-choice and short-answer items. For the writing test, students wrote to a single persuasive writing prompt. Rachel did not pass the mathematics or writing tests. The teachers in her school have all attended workshops on how to incorporate writing in their courses. The district has adopted curriculum materials that are aligned with the state curriculum standards. The teachers say that Rachel has had opportunities to do the kinds of tasks that are on the state test because students do similar tasks in their classrooms. They are baffled that she did not pass the tests and are confident that, if she takes it again this fall, she will definitely pass.
